The New York City Bar Honors DAP Advocate
June 15, 2011
Author: Louise M. Tarantino| Catherine M. Callery (Kate)
The New York City Bar Association named Betty Heaton, a Senior Legal Assistant/Social Worker for Manhattan Legal Services, as a recipient of the 22nd Annual Legal Services Award. This award, which recognizes attorneys and non-attorneys who provide outstanding civil legal assistance to New York’s poor, was presented to Betty on May 25, 2011.
According to Betty’s supervisor, Tanya Douglas, “Betty has provided high quality, culturally-sensitive, culturally-competent, and zealous advocacy to indigent New Yorkers for over forty years.” Betty began her career with Legal Services NYC (then called Community Action for Legal Services or CALS) as a VISTA intern in 1966, and intended to stay for only one year. However, she fell in love with her work and her clients. Betty first worked with the family law unit, but she has worked with the DAP unit for the past two decades. Tanya noted that Betty is never reticent to represent a client with a challenging case or to strongly advocate for her clients. It is impressive and inspirational that Betty handles what she refers to as “Hail-Mary” cases, clients who suffer from significant disabilities but with difficult cases in terms of evidence of record. The entire DAP community congratulates Betty on receiving this well-deserved and prestigious award.
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